This panda-cam live stream is courtesy Explore.org and Bifengxia, the largest panda reserve and research center in the world. You are watching Zhi Chun (“spring”), Qing Shan (“green mountain”), Zhao Yang (“morning sun”) and Ao Ao (“pride”).

Zoos and other facilities breed pandas to increase their numbers, expand genetic diversity, and, ultimately, release them into the wild.

(From the activity) How can captive-breeding programs for pandas contribute to the health of Sichuan’s bamboo forest ecosystem?

Supporters of captive-breeding programs say having pandas in zoos creates awareness and support for conservation efforts. One scientist quoted in the article says pandas’ captive-breeding programs are “an amazing conservation achievement—more of the pandas’ range is protected than for many other large endangered species, and it comes from the fact the pandas have this public presence.”

The program may not be effective. Biologists admit that few pandas have been successfully released back into the wild. “I think these programs have been going on long enough that we should see more progress made,” says one scientist.

Captive-breeding does not really address the loss of habitat that contributed to pandas’ dwindling numbers to begin with. “The bigger question is not can we breed an animal in captivity, but can we give him a home in the wild—and that means restoring degraded and fragmented habitat,” the scientist continues.

Captive-breeding programs are very expensive. All pandas in captive-breeding facilities are on loan from China, and according to the New York Times, China charges American zoos about $1 million per panda, every year. (Cubs cost an extra $600,000.) Most zoos agree to pay another $1 million to finance research and conservation projects. One expert estimates the Chinese government makes about $80 million a year from panda breeding programs. Zoos must also invest in employees and facilities to maintain a healthy environment for their pandas. For example, “A curator, three full-time keepers and one backup keeper care for Lun Lun and Yang Yang at Zoo Atlanta. A crew of six travels around Georgia six days a week, harvesting bamboo from 400 volunteers who grow it in their backyards.”

Some experts say the time, effort, facilities, and finances required by panda-breeding programs reduce conservation efforts on behalf of other endangered species. One expert in the NG News article mentions the Ethiopian wolf as an example, with only 500 remaining individuals and no captive breeding programs.

2 responses to “Is Breeding Pandas in Captivity Worth It?”

It will cost a lot of money to breed pandas but I think it is worth it. There aren’t many pandas left in the world and we cant let a beautiful animal go extinct. Once we breed them we need to let them into the wild instead of keeping them in zoos.

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